2022 Bimota Tesi H2 First Ride

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The striking 2022 Bimota Tesi H2. Note that the only frame seen here is the one around the photo. (Ula Serra/Felix Romero/)

Bimota is nothing if not a survivor. Its radically designed and lavishly crafted chassis have been righting handling wrongs, on and off, since the Rimini company’s creation in 1973. Back then, and for a decade or more to come, Bimota stripped powerful Japanese superbikes of their puny frames, wrapped them in exotic trellis or twin-spar structures, and made them go and look like nothing else on our planet. They cost the Earth, too, and many gladly paid.

In the mid-1980s, when the Japanese started to get the hang of half-decent handling with bikes like the Suzuki GSX-R750 and Yamaha FZ750, many of the European chassis specialists that grew up alongside Bimota went to the wall or changed direction. Bimota, however, kept going; perhaps more accurately, the Bimota brand, by now revered worldwide as a byword for beautiful and exotic design, kept going. But the business lurched from one financial disaster to another. It adopted Ducati power; built its own two-stroke, the Vdue; pressed ahead with the unconventional at every turn, then went ominously quiet again.

Bimota’s front hub-center steering assembly, seen here without front wheel mounted. (Ula Serra/Felix Romero/)

Today, Bimota is back, seemingly stable, focused, and with what looks very much like a sustainable business model. It’s currently in partnership with Kawasaki, which bought a 49 percent stake in the Italian company in 2019. There are two new models, the 1000SX-powered KB4 sport-retro and this, the frankly outrageous Tesi H2 Carbon.

The $72,000 (approximate) Tesi H2 combines the 228 hp supercharged engine from Kawasaki’s H2 with Bimota’s legendary chassis design and unique Tesi hub-center steering. With carbon bodywork and a billet aluminum and carbon swingarm, this is one very special bike.

In essence, with the key to the Kawasaki cupboard, Bimota has been able to take one of the world’s most powerful production engines, along with its fueling and exhaust, instruments, switch gear, lights, and electronic rider aids, and then add its own rolling chassis and bodywork. That means trademark Difazio-type hub-center steering (as designed by Pierluigi Marconi in the 1980s and first put into production in 1991), with a billet aluminum rear swingarm and carbon/aluminum front arms bolting directly to the supercharged Kawasaki motor; there is no conventional frame at all. That bodywork, by the way, is a work of carbon fiber beauty, complete with aero wings claimed to give up to 24.3 pounds of downforce and a major contributor to a claimed curb weight of 483 pounds.

The Tesi H2 on track at Modena. (Ula Serra/Felix Romero/)

Because Kawasaki has already done all the work on fueling, electronic development costs, Euro 4 compliance, and so on, Bimota’s focus has been centered on what it does best: chassis and design. And the result is stunning.

Kawasaki has tweaked the motor since 2015 to comply with Euro 4 regulations but it’s still as fierce as ever, and I approached the first laps of the Modena test track in northern Italy with immense caution.

We’d ride the ‘22 bike, updated to Euro 4 spec but still as fierce as ever, at Modena, a fun track but much too tight for a bike bursting at the seams with excess horsepower. The track was damp initially, meaning the focus during the early laps was on bringing the carbon bodywork home in one piece. Immediately, though, it was obvious that the grip the Tesi H2 was generating from its Bridgestone RS1 tires was consistently high, far better than expected, with the traction control intervention effective. A mild fueling glitch aside, the 228 hp beast was actually easy to ride steadily.

Tesi H2 rear swingarm with wheel dismounted, allowing a clear view of the fascinating side-by-side arrangement of the front and rear shocks. (Ula Serra/Felix Romero/)

After a quick pit stop to reduce rider aids levels and rejoin the track with sporting intent, the Bimota erupted into life. Although it has arguably the most radical chassis found on a production motorcycle (“production,” by the way, is capped at 250 units) but early in the ride, Kawasaki’s envelope-pushing engine grabbed all the attention. Its midrange rush is phenomenal, requiring mental recalibration; the sheer avalanche of horsepower can be felt across the rider’s face as it demands much of the tires, suspension, and anti-wheelie control.

Every component, the rider’s concentration especially, is stretched to the limit. Many bikes can make Modena feel tight in places, but the Bimota’s Kawasaki power shrunk it to the size of a kids kart track.

Those who have been lucky enough to sample an H2 off the leash may find it hard to believe that the Tesi H2 is even faster. So much so, in fact, that its electronic rider aids have been recalibrated from the H2 to compensate for the Italian’s comparative lack of weight and extra zip. On test, the only place to really let the Tesi H2 loose was down the main straight and, again, the power on tap was almost too much, the acceleration fierce enough to punch the air from a rider’s lungs. The kick it delivers is like nothing else on the road, almost as addictive as the signature “chirp” of the engine’s supercharger.

The twistiness of Modena highlighted the H2 engine’s edgy throttle response, which is still a little aggressive when the throttle is opened at low rpm. From 20 percent to 40 percent throttle, it’s just about acceptable; from 0 percent to 20 or 30 percent, it’s snappy, and the twisty track exacerbated this weakness. Certainly the Tesi’s excellent rider aids act as a safety net, but it’s hard to dial in the power smoothly and slowly in a low gear, and sometimes easier to short-shift into a taller gear for a better ride.

Tesi H2 on the straight at Modena. The hub-center steering makes for a wider cross-section than teleforks, allowing Bimota’s designers to get a bit… Cheeky. (Ula Serra/Felix Romero/)

The implacable nature of the Tesi’s chassis helps here, and it’s hard to think of another bike that could keep so many wild horses on the straight and narrow with such precision. The nature of the Tesi’s hub-center steering system means the bike’s geometry is unaffected by hard braking and acceleration. There is no conventional fork dive, either, so the feel at the bars is constant whether the bike is slowing, accelerating, or turning.

With the functions of braking, suspension, and steering separated by HCS, the steering isn’t affected by the suspension, and the suspension is in turn unaffected by braking forces. Each is free of the inherent engineering compromises necessary with telescopic forks, so there’s chassis stability and steering accuracy even when hard on the brakes.

The front suspension is more like a conventional rear swingarm with a single shock, which on the Bimota is located at the rear. Steering is via a series of links and joints, with the front wheel pivoting on a hub; most of the HCS architecture is hidden by the carbon bodywork. In fact, the Tesi H2 is basically a swingarm on the front, an engine in the middle, a swingarm on the rear; there’s no conventional frame, as everything is bolted to Kawasaki’s supercharged motor.

Tesi H2 brazenly shows off its undercarriage. Until you learn what to look for, hub-center front suspension often doesn’t look like it’s doing much at all. It is. (Ula Serra/Felix Romero/)

The way in which the chassis sits flat and responds to throttle, brake, and steering inputs takes some getting used to, and initially the front tire contact patch feels a bit vague. It doesn’t take long, however, to connect and trust the front-end grip rather than feel for it as one would with teles. Within a few laps, the Tesi started to feel natural and knees were dragged on the Ferrari test track with confidence.

By session two, with heat in the Bridgestone rubber and more track familiarity, the Tesi fully clicked. The weight advantage of the Bimota compared to the Kawasaki H2, plus a low center of mass allowed by the HCS, makes flicking the bike from full-lean left to full-lean right blissfully easy. Add a (theoretical) head angle far steeper on the Tesi, 21.3 degrees with 117mm (4.6 inches) of trail and 24.5 degrees and 103mm (4.1 inches) on the Kawasaki, and steering is sharpened  to the finest of points; the Tesi’s inch-perfect attack plan becomes deeply satisfying.

One might expect to feel beaten up by a 20-minute session with all those rampaging horses, but not so; even fast direction changes were surprisingly easy, while the Tesi flowed through Modena’s quicker sections with minimal input.

Braking, meanwhile, is very different from a conventional bike, despite the Tesi sharing the same Brembo Stylema calipers and 330mm discs as the Kawasaki H2. Stopping power is immense, but no matter how hard and late the braking, the Tesi stays flat. The front does not dive, the fork doesn’t run out of travel, and the rear does not lift, meaning braking can be left exceptionally late.

Kawasaki’s brutally supercharged H2 engine in elegant Bimota trim. (Ula Serra/Felix Romero/)

Kawasaki’s ABS system (KIBS) is present and correct and is linked to the IMU for lean sensitivity. Kawasaki’s engine-brake control is also carried over to the Bimota. The intervention of the ABS can be changed but not fully deactivated. On track on standard rubber, the ABS was evident but not too intrusive.

Hub-center steering isn’t for everyone though, and without fork dive the rake angle stays constant, making the bike harder to turn, especially at lower, tighter speeds. The feedback and connection between rider and tires are also, if not reduced, then certainly less intimate. Without feeling the front tire compress, the sidewall squish and grip build as on a conventionally suspended superbike, the confidence needed to brake deep into the apex wasn’t there, especially given the 60,000 pounds sterling asking price of the Bim.

That said, the Tesi has plenty of adjustment to help tweak the chassis to the rider’s liking, and an eccentric adjuster can add 20mm (1.2 inches) to the ride height without altering the steering geometry, while the suspension is fully adjustable, with both remote preload adjusters located at the rear of the bike.

As with the brakes, the Tesi’s six-axis IMU-linked rider aids are taken straight from Kawasaki’s H2 but recalibrated to match the lighter Bimota. This means the Tesi H2 comes with proven technology comprising: Kawasaki Cornering Management Function (KCMF), Kawasaki Traction Control (KTRC), Kawasaki Launch Control Mode (KLCM), Kawasaki Engine Brake Control, Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System (KIBS), ABS and Dual-direction Kawasaki Quick Shifter (KQS). Bimota has even retained the economical riding indicator. The TFT dash is also an H2 item.

The Bimota Tesi H2 is a very difficult bike to judge, as it’s so different from anything on the market. A brief ride on a track that doesn’t suit the bike’s strengths slightly clouds the picture.

The indisputable facts are that Bimota has taken one of the world’s most exciting and technologically advanced engines, Kawasaki’s supercharged H2, and housed it in a unique chassis, one which feels lighter and more agile than the all-Japanese donor bike. The exciting partnership between the Italian chassis specialist and Kawasaki has also resulted in a more pragmatic and focused Bimota.

Unlike some bikes from the company’s past, the Tesi H2 we rode was free of niggles and unwelcome distractions. It’s a beautiful, innovative machine. Yes, Bimota might well be back.

2022 Bimota Tesi H2 Specs

MSRP:	£60,000 (UK)
Engine:	DOHC, water-cooled, supercharged, inline-four; 4 valves/cyl.
Displacement:	998cc
Bore x Stroke:	76.0 x 55.0mm
Compression Ratio:	8.5:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed/chain
Claimed Horsepower:	170kW/228 bhp @ 11,500 rpm
Claimed Torque:	141.7 Nm/104.5 lb.-ft. @ 11,000 rpm
Fuel System:	DFI w/ 50mm throttle bodies w/ dual injection
Clutch:	Wet, multiplate
Frame:	Billet machined aluminum plates onto the engine
Front Suspension:	Billet aluminum alloy, Öhlins TTX 36, fully adjustable; 100mm (3.9 in.) travel
Rear Suspension:	Billet aluminum alloy, Öhlins TTX 36, fully adjustable; 130mm (5.1 in.) travel
Front Brake:	Brembo Stylema 4-pot calipers, twin 330mm discs w/ Cornering ABS
Rear Brake:	Brembo 2-pot caliper, 220mm disc w/ Cornering ABS
Wheels, Front/Rear:	OZ racing forged; 17 x 3.5 in. / 17 x 6 in.
Tires, Front/Rear:	Bridgestone RS11; 120/70ZR-17 / 200/55ZR-17
Rake/Trail:	21.3°/4.6 in.
Wheelbase:	56.8 in.
Seat Height:	33 in. (+/-10mm ride height)
Fuel Capacity:	4.5 gal.
Claimed Curb Weight:	483 lb.
Contact:	bimota.it

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